Automatic display device



Jan. 16, 1962 R. E. SWANK 3,016,640

AUTOMATIC DISPLAY DEVICE Filed April 30, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 16,1962 R. E. swANK AUTOMATIC DISPLAY DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April50, 1959 INVENTOR,

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 R. E. SWANK AUTOMATIC DISPLAY DEVICE um. m.. A

Jan. 16, 1962 Filed April 50, 1959 1m MNHN w Mw. Nm. 6% hw Jan. 16, 1962R. E. sWANK AUTOMATIC DISPLAY DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 3o,1959 INV ENTOR.

United States Patent Oice 3,016,640 Patented aan. 1e, rss2 3,016,640AUTQMA'IEC DISPLAY DEVHCE Richard E. Swank, 592 W. Columbia Ave., BattleCreek, Mich. Filed Apr. 3i?, 1959, Ser. No. 819,037 4 Claims. (Cl. lill-36) This invention relates in general to an apparatus whereby a displaypanel is supported for movement in a horizontal direction substantiallywithin the plane defined by said panel into and out of a displayposition and, more particularly, to a type of apparatus whereby saidpanel is caused to remain in the display position for a selected periodof time and whereby a large panel can be moved with a small amount ofpower.

The advantages of visual aids, such as a movable display, for thepurposes of attracting attention and promoting interest, are well known.In fact, many types of devices and mechanisms have been provided over along period of time for the purpose of effecting the movement of displayitems, such as panels, into and out of a display position. For example,one type of such display apparatus is disclosed in my patent applicationSerial No. 744,196, filed June 24, 1958. However, prior displayapparatuses for moving panels have been designed primarily for useindoors or, at least, in a location or cabinet where the panels are notdirectly exposed to rigorous weather conditions.

In many types of two-dimensional displays, especially those involvingwritten materials, it is necessary to provide large panels `which oftenare in excess of four or five lfeet square. Outdoor advertising displaypanels are, of course, the principal examples of such use. However, suchpanels may also be found in large buildings or partially enclosedstructures, such as stadiums, other athletic parks and the like. Wheresuch display panels are used out-of-doors, they are usually exposeddirectly to the weather, including rain, snow and wind. Thus, where amovable display panel of a relatively large size is used out-ofdoors, itmust be arranged and constructed so extreme weather conditions, such assnow, sleet or high winds, will not adversely affect the operation ofthe apparatus. Moreover, it becomes necessary to provide a panel-rnovingapparatus which does not require large amounts of energy for the purposeof elfecting the movement of the panels.

Existing structures for effecting the movement of panels have not,insofar as I am aware, been adapted to any material extent for use withrelatively large panels, partieularly for out-of-doors use. In someinstances, this appears to be due to the excessive power which would berequired to convert them to such use, and/or the complicated structuresinvolved which would be too expensive to reproduce on a large scale. Inother instances, existing structures for these purposes require acomplete and full enclosure to protect their operating mechanisms aswell as their panels from adverse weather conditions, such `as sleet,rain, snow and high winds.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention has been the provisionof a display apparatus having mechanisrn for moving a substantiallyvertical display panel in a horizontal direction substantially withinthe plane defined by said panel into and out of a display position, saidmechanism being capable of maintaining said panel in said displayposition for a selected period of time.

A further object of this invention has been the provision of `a displayapparatus, as aforesaid, wherein the panebmoving mechanism can beoperated with a minimum of power, completely automatically andcontinuously, and wherein the display panel can be at least partiallyexposed to normally severe weather conditions without adverselyaffecting the satisfactory operation of the apparatus.

A further object of this invention has been the provision of apanel-moving mechanism, as aforesaid, which is simple and inexpensive tofabricate, which requires little or no maintenance, which can be setinto operation by remote control, and which will operate withoutattention.

A further object of this linvention has been the provision of a displayapparatus, as aforesaid, which can be shipped to the site of its use ina knockdowvn condition and then assembled according to simpleinstructions by any installer of average ability.

A further object of the invention has been the provision of a displayapparatus, as aforesaid, which is pleasing in appearance, which can beadapted to panels of a variety of sizes and shapes, and which willoperate efficiently under extremely `adverse weather conditions.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will become apparent topersons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the followingspecification and examining the drawings in which:

FIGURE l is an oblique View of a display apparatus embodying theinvention.

FEGURE 2 is an oblique, partially schematic view of the principaloperating parts in the display apparatus.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line Ill-III in FIGURE l.

FlGURE 3A is a sectional'view taken along the line IIIA-EIA in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a broken sectional View taken along the line lV-IV in FIGURE3.

FIGURE 4A is an oblique view of a drive member for stretching treresilient member that motivates'the panel.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V--V in FGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is the tripping cam fastened to the drive belt, as viewed fromthe cutting line VI-VI in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII- VH in FlGURE 4.

FIGURE 8 is a sectional View taken along the line VH1-VIII in FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a fragment of the sectional View shown in FIGURE 3 includinga modified construction.

FIGURE "10 is a sectional view taken along the line X-X in FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view substantially as taken along the lineXI-XI in FIGURE 4 disclosing a moditied construction.

FIGURE 12 is a sectional view taken along the line XlI--XII in FIGURE1-1.

FIGURE 13 is a sectional view taken along the line XIIIXHI in FIGURE 12.

FIGURE 14 is a broken, oblique view of an alternate construction forsaid display apparatus.

FIGURE l5 is a sectional view taken along the line XV-XV in FIGURE 14.

FIGURE 16 is a side elevational view of a modification of the displayapparatus shown in FIGURE 14.

For the purpose of convenience in description, the terms uppen lowenfront, rear, left, right and deriva-tives thereof will have reference tothe display apparatus of the invention in its normal position ofoperation and as appearing in FIGURES 1, 2, 11, and 16. The terms innenouter and derivatives thereof will have reference to the geometriccenter of said apparatus and parts associated therewith.

3 General description The objects and purposes of the invention,including those set forth above, have been met by providing a displayapparatus comprised of an elongated mounting structure from which adisplay panel is suspended for horizontal movement lengthwise of themounting structure, said panel remaining substantially within the planedefined thereby. A pair of spaced and radially aligned, circularmembers, such as pulleys, the axes of which are substantially parallel,are rotatably supported upon said mounting structure. An elongatedendless element is supported upon and extends around said pulleys sothat `the reaches of said endless element are substantially parallelwith and near to the upper edges of said display panel. One of saidpulleys is connected to drive means, such as a motor, whereby saidendless element is moved around said pulleys. Mechanism associated withsaid endless element effects movement of said panel into a displayposition, where it remains for a selected period of time, after whichsaid panel is moved out of said display position and, after anotherselected period of time, the cycle is repeated.

Deaed construction The display apparatus (FIGURE l), which has beenselected to illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, iscomprised of a substantially rectangular housing 12 including ahorizontally elongated mounting structure 11 extending along the upperportion of said housing 12.. The panel housing 1.2 (FIGURES l and 2)includes a front wall 13, a rear wall 14 and a pair of end walls 17 andThe front and rear walls have windows 1% and 23, respectively, whichextend in opposite directions from near the centers of said front andrear Walls to the end walls 17 and 18, respectively. However, otherarrangements of said windows19 and 2@ may be provided and, under somecircumstances, one window may be adequate. The lower edgesA of saidfront and rear walls are connected to the opposite ends of the crossbrace 21.

The mounting structure 11 (FIGURES l and 4) i-ncludes` a channel-shapedheader 26 (FIGURE 3) having front and rear, downwardly extending flanges23 and 24, respectively. The front and rear walls 13 and le,respectively, of the housing 12 are secured along their upper edges tothe front and rear flanges 23 and 24 on the channel-shaped header 26 bymeans, such as the screws 27 (FIGURE 3).

A panel assembly or unit 29 (FIGURES l, 2 and 3), which includes thepanel 2S and panel engaging member 37, is suspended from the mountingstructure 11 within the housing 12 for movement lengthwise thereof bymeans described hereinafter. One side of the panel 28 can be viewedthrough the window 159 and the other side can be viewed through thewindow 2i). Thus, the panel 28 has two dispiay positions, in thisembodiment, at opposite ends of the housing 12.

rlhe inside surface 32 (FIGURE 2) of the rear wall 14 can be seenthrough the front window 1% when the display panel 28 is being viewedthrough the `rear window 29. Thus, the inside surface of the rear wallserves as an additional, nonmovable display panel. In the same mannerand for the same purposes, the inside `surface 31 (FIGURE 3) of thefront wall-13 can be viewed through the window M (FIGURE 2) in the rearwall 14.

The panel housing 12 and panel 28 may be made from any suitablematerial, such as sheet metal or plywood, and the windows 19 and 25 maybe transparent sheets or simply openings in said front and rear walls.

The front flanges 23 (FIGURE 3) on the header 26 has a lower edgeportion 33 which is bent inwardly or rearwardly at right angles and thenbent upwardly to provide a rail 34 which is disposed about midwaybetween the planes dened by the anges 23 and 24 and is spaced downwardlysubstantially from the web 36 of the header 26. The elongated,channel-shaped panel engaging member 37 (FIGURE 2) of the panel assembly29 is supported by means of a pair of wheels 3S and 39 upon the rail 34.The Wheels 325 and 39 are mounted upon and between the flanges 41 and d.(FIGURE 4) of the panel engaging member 37 by means of bolts d3 so thatsaid wheels are spaced downwardly `from the web i4 (FIGURE 3) of thepanel engaging member 37. The rear flange 42 preferably extends belowthe lower edge portion 33 of the front ange 23 on the header 26 where itsupports `a pair of rollers 46 and 47 (FIGURE 2) which engage the lowersurface of the edge portion 33 (FIGURE 3) when the rail 34 is engaged bythe wheels 3 and 39. The panel 23 is secured to the flange 42 on theengaging member 37 by means of the bolts 48, and hangs downwardlytherefrom.

An elongated, channel-shaped belt guide 51 (FIGURES Z and 3) hasupwardly extending i'langes 52 and 53 which are secured along `theirupper edges (FIGURE 3) to the lower surface of the web 36 on the header26 so that said flanges are spaced from the iianges 23 and 24,respectively, of the header 26. The belt guide .y1 (FIGURE 4) isapproximately half as long as the header 26 and is preferably' spacedequidistantly from the end walls 54 and 5S thereof. A motor 57 (FIGURE3) is supported upon the upper surface of the web 36 of the header 26above the leftward end of the belt guide S1 (FIGURE 2), and the motorshaft 58 extends through the web 36 (FIGURE 3) where its lower free endmay be rotatably supported within a bearing 5@ (FIGURE 5) in the web 62of the belt guide S. A pulley 63 is mounted upon vthe motor shaft 5S forrotation therewith adjacent to the web 62 of said belt guide. The motor57 is preferably of vthe slow speed type including reduction gearswhereby a very slo-W shaft speed can be obtained.

Another pulley 66 (FIGURES 2, 4 and 7) is rotatably supported upon andbetween the ilanges 67 and 68 of an l-l-shaped pulley bracket 69(FIGURES 7 and 8) which is slidably supported upon the upper suraceofthe web 62 of the belt guide S1 between the flanges 52 and 53. Thebracket 69 has a flat extension 7.2 which is substantially coplanar withthe lower flange o8 thereof and is slidably held against the web 62. bya guide plate '73 which is secured to and extends between the flanges 52and 53 of said belt guide 51. The free end of the extension 72 (FIGURE7) and the remote edge of the guide plate 73 have integral, upwardlyextending lips 74 and 75, respectively, which are connected to theopposite ends of a rcsilient member, such as the spiral spring 77. Thepulley bracket 69, hence the pulley 66 supported thereon, iscontinuously and resiliently urged outwardly of the belt guide S1 by thespring 77 to a point where the lip 74 engages the inner edge of theguide plate 73.

The pulleys 53 and 66 (FIGURES 2 and 4) are radially aligned andpreferably rotate around substantially vertical axes. An elongatedendless element, such as the V-bclt 7S, extends around the pulleys 63and 64 so that its reaches 79 and 8b (FIGURE 3) are disposed adjacent tothe outer surfaces of the anges 52 and 53, respectively, of the beltguide 51. The length of the belt 78 is selected so that the pulleybracket 69 is moved inwardly of its outermost position when both pulleysare engaged by the belt 78. Thus, the spiral spring 77 serves to apply acontinuous tension `upon the belt 78. A sidewardly or radially extendingdrive pin 83 (FIGURES 3 and 4) is secured tothe belt 73. An upwardlyextending releasing cam 84 (FIGURES 3, 4 and 6) is secured to said belt7 8 `at a point thereon spaced substantially from said drive pin 83. Thefunctions and relative locations of the pin 83 and cam 34 will bediscussed hereinafter.

A pair of drive members 36 and 87 (FIGURES 2` and 4), which arepreferably identical, are slidably supported by means including therails 3S and 39, respectively, within the header 26 on opposite sides ofthe belt guide 51 and adjacent to the flanges 23 and 24, respectively.The rail 38 (FIGURE 3) which is substantially channelshaped, is securedby any convenient means to the lower surface of the header web 36between the header flange 23 and the belt guide 5l. Said rail dit(FIGURE 4) extends from the rightward end of the header 26 to a pointabout even with the leftward end of the belt guide l. The rail 9, whichis preferably similar to the rail 8S, is secured to the lower surface ofthe header web 36 between the header flange 24 and the belt guide 5l.The rail 89 extends from the leftward end of the header 26 to a pointabout even with the rightward end of the belt guide 5l.

The drive member 86 (FGURES 2 and 4A) has a pair of elongated, integralilanges 92 and 93 which define an l.shaped cross section (FIGURE 3), theflange 92 being substantially parallel with and adjacent to the frontflange 23 on the header 26, and the flange 935 extending horizontallyand inwardly from the upper edge of the flange g2 adjacent to the web36. Sliders l are secured to the upper surface of the flange 93 forslidably engaging the rail 8f3. The drive member Se (FEGURES 4 and 4A)has at its leftward end an inwardly extending, vertical flange 96, andat is opposite end a horizontal flange 97 integral with and extendinginwardly from the lower edge of the llange 92.. The end portion of theange 97 is bent downwardly to provide the stop flange 93 which issubstantially parallel with, and out or alignment with, the end flange96. That is, the stop flange 98 is disposed downwardly of a horizontalplane dened by the lower edges of the end flange 96 and the verticalflange 92.

The stop flange 93 (FEGURES 3A and 4A) has a downwardly opening slotStil-l near its free end. A cylindrical, resiliently flexible bumperlill (FIGURE 3A), having a central opening 193 therethrough, has a pairof parallel, transverse grooves 164 and Sltl on opposite sides thereoffor reception of the portions of the stop flange 98 adjacent to the slotEhi. A notch 167 is provided in the outer end of the bumper 102 andextends between the central opening ltl and the periphery of the bumper.

The structure of the drive member S7 (FIGURES 2 and 4) may be, andpreferably is, substantially identical with the structure of the drivemember Se. Accordingly', parts of the drive member S7, where discussedherein, will be referred to by the same numerals as their counterpartsin the drive member 86 and will be distinguished by the suffix a addedto the corresponding numerals. A bumper lll?, (FEGURE 3) which may besubstantially identical to the bumper N2, is mounted in a slot on thestop flange 93a in substantially the same manner as the bumper m2 issupported upon the stop flange 9d.

When the drive members 36 and (FlGURE 4) are supported upon the railsand 559, respectively, the stop flanges 98 and @da (FIGURE 2) extendinto the path of, and are engageable by the opposite ends of, saidmember 37. The paths of movement of the drive members 86 and 37lengthwise or" the mounting structure ll are such that the flanges 96and 96e move closely adjacent to the corresponding reaches of the belt7S. Thus, when the said flanges are in a position between the ends ofthe belt reaches, they are engageable by the drive pin 83.

An elongated, resiliently flexible element, such as a long coiled springor the elastic band ill (FGURE 4), extends through the central openingsin the bumpers lill and N8 and lengthwise through the panel-engagingmember 37 between the web ifs thereof and the wheels 3d and 39. The bandlll has a knot M2 (FIGURE 3A) at one of its ends which is larger thanthe width of the notch lll? in the bumper i192. The band llll isanchored with respect to the bumper lili by inserting the portionthereof adjacent said knot lf2. into said slot tl' so that said knotengages the peripheral surface of the bumper lll?. and thereby preventsmovement of the end portion of the elastic band ill baclt through thenotch lltl7 and the central opening M3. The opposite end ofthe elasticband lll (FIGURE 4) has a knot .lf3 which is anchored with respect tothe bumper ldd in a similar manner.

The elastic band lll (FGURE 4) or other resilient element is selected sothat its unstretched length is substantially less than the length of thepanel-engaging member 37. Thus, the stop flanges 98 and 98a arecontinuously urged by said band 111 toward the opposite ends of thepanel-engaging member 37, hence toward and into their closest relativepositions. The inner ends of the bumpers 162 and ltli cushion theengagement of the drive members 86 and 87 with the opposite ends of thepanel-engaging member 37. The outer ends of said bumpers 102 and E68 areengageable with the end walls SS and Srl, respectively, for cushioningthe engagement of the drive members 6 and 87 therewith. The elastic bandlllll is selected from material which will not appreciably fatigue whencontinuously stretched to a length substantially in excess of twice itsnormal unstretched length.

A pair of elongated, resiliently flexible holding members H5 and lid(FIGURE 4) are aligned lengthwise of, and are rigidly secured at theiradjacent ends to, the lower surface of the web 6?. on the belt guide 5lnear to, but spaced from, the opposite ends thereof. The holding memberli' (FlGURE 5) extends leftwardly from its point of engagement with theweb 62 beyond the leftward end thereof where it is bent upwardly, thenrightwardly and back downwardly again to provide an integral,roller-supporting bracket M7. A roller lll is supported upon the bracketM7 by the pin M9 so that the periphery thereof is near to the belt 73and is engageable by the releasing cam 3d. The roller 118 is preferablyarranged so that its axis is disposed within a vertical plane containinga radius of the pulley 163 to facilitate engagement with the cam 84.

rl`he holding member lS has an upward offset l2?. (FIGURE 5) adjacentthe motor shaft 58 providing a shoulder ilZS engageable with a holdingelement 124 secured to, and extending upwardly from, the panelengagingmember 37, approximately midway between the ends thereof. Engagement ofthe roller lid by the cam 84 effects an upward flexing of the holdingmember MS into the broken line position llia thereof, whereby theholding element .l2/if is released from engagement with the shoulder 23.

The holding member M6 (FlGURE 7) may be substantially identical inconstruction with the holding member H5. Accordingly, where parts of theholding member flo are mentioned herein, they are id-entied by the samenumerals as the corresponding parts of the holding member M5 and aredistinguished therefrom by adding the sulfix a to the numerals appliedto their counterparts in the holding member 116.

Operation With the display apparatus liti (FIGURE l) assembled asdescribed above, operation of said apparatus is commenced by energizingthe motor 57 (ElGURE 2) which drives the pulley 63 and thereby moves thebelt 78 at a relatively slow, continuous rate around the pulley d6 andin a direction indicated by the arrows. For convenience, it will beassumed that the part of the mounting structure il, which parts moveduring the Operation of the display apparatus llt), are in their solidline positions as appearing in FIGURE 4 at the beginning of the sequenceof operations. n such case, the rear drive member S7 will be at theextreme leftward end of its travel, also shown in FIGURE 2, where it isheld `by the panel unit 29, which is in turn held at the leftward end ofits travel by engag ment between the holding element 12d thereon and theshoulder i123 in the holding member i (FIGURE 5).

The end llange 96 (FGURE 4) on the front drive member d6 will be engagedby the drive pin 83 on the belt 78, whereby the stop flange 93 will beheld away rom the `adjacent rightward end `of the panel unit 29, inspite of the contrary urging by the elastic band 111. Movement of thebelt 7b, as indicated by the arrows (FGURE 4), will act through thedrive pin 33 to move the drive member 86 rightwardly along the rail 89toward its broken line position 86a (FIGURE 4) at the extreme rightwardend of its travel. luring such rightward movement of the front drivemember Se, the rear drive met ber 87 does not move and, therefore, thetension upon the elastic band ill, which is anchored at its oppositeends on the stop flanges 93 and 93a, is steadily increased. When thedrive member S6 reaches its FlGURE 2 position, which is slightly beforeit reaches said broken line position 36.2, the releasing cam S4 (FIGURE5) will engage the roller lid `and thereby move the holding member llSfrom its solid line position to its broken line position 115:1. Theholding element M4 is thus disengaged from the shoulder 123 whereby theelastic band lll, acting through the bumper ltl and the stop flange 95a(FIGURE 4) will move the drive member 87 and panel unit 29 into theirbroken line positions 87a and 29a, respectively, at the rightward end ofthe mounting structure ll.

rfhe releasing cam 4 is so positioned upon the belt 78 (FlGURE 4) thatthe panel unit 29 will be released thereby to engage the bumper lilljust before the drive member Se reaches its `brolen line position 36a.Thus, the drive member Se absorbs some of the force and momentumelfecting the rightward movement of the panel unit 29 and drive memberS. The engagement between the bumper 162 and the right end wall d5 ofthe header 26 terminates such rightward movement.

As the panel unit 29 reaches its position in FIGURE 2, the holdingelement 124 (FGURE 4) will move into its broken line position 124e(FIGURE 7) where the shoulder M351 on the holding member llo willreleasably engage the holding element :l2/la and thereby hold the panelunit 29 and the drive member 36 in their broken line, rightwardpositions 29a and Sdn, respectively (EIG- URE 4).

With the drive member 36 in its broken line position 86a (FlGURE 4), thedrive pin 83 can move the belt 73 past the end flange 96 and `around thepulley e6. Thus, the drive prin 83 now engages the flange 96a in itsrightward position 965 in FKGURE 4, whereby the drive member 87 is movedleftwardly from its broken line position tla to its solid line position37, thereby stretching the elastic band lill in substantially the samemanner as it was stretched previously by rightward movement of the drivemember 36. Just before the drive member 37 reaches its `solid lineposition in FIGURES 2 and 4, the releasing cam S4 (FIGURE 6) will engagethe roller a (FIGURE 7) thereby moving it upwardly and, as a result,disengaging the holding member ille from the holding element 1.2451. Thestretched elastic band lll, which is anchored upon the stop flange 98 ofthe drive member S6, is now permitted to move the drive member 87 andthe panel unit 2? from their broken line positions 87a and 29a (FIGURE4) into their solid line positions at the leftward end of the structurelll.

Just before the panel unit 29 (FIGURE 4) reaches the Ieftward end of itspath, it engages the bumper w8 whereby part of the force effecting itsleftward movement is absorbed by the drive member 87. At the same time,the drive member 86 will move into its broken line position Seb at theleftward end of its path of movement and the holding element 124 will bemoved to the leftward side of the shoulder 123, which will obstructimmediate rightward movement of both the panel unit 29 and the reardrive member S7. With the drive member 87 in its leftward, solid lineposition, the drive pin 3 can pass the end flange 96a thereon and movearound the pulley 63 Where it again engages the end flange 96 on thedrive member 36, which member is in its broken line position 6b. Thefront drive member 86 is again moved rightwardly while the panel unit 29(FGURE 5) is held in its leftward position by the holding member ll,which is later released by the cam 84, Ias set forth above in theinitial steps of the operation.

Accordingly, `a cycle of operation has now been completed during whichthe drive member Se was slowly moved rightwardly by the belt 7S whilethe panel 2S was held by the panel-engaging member 37 -in front of thewindow lil and the band lll was stretched. As the member 36 approachedthe rightward end of the mounting structure lll, the panel unit 29 andthe drive member S7 were released from ltheir leftward positions andpulled into their rightward positions by the elastic bland lll. rl`hiswas followed by the leftward movement of the drive member e7 while thepanel 2S was held in front of the window Eil and the elastic band lllwas again stretched. As drive member approached ythe leftward end of itstravel, the panel unit Z9 was again released and the panel 2li was movedleftwardly by the band lll into its initial display position. This cycleof operation can continue as long as the motor 57 continues to move thebelt 73.

While the front Side of the panel 28 is being viewed through the windowi9, the display material on the inside surface 3l of the front wall i3can be viewed through the window 2t?. When the panel 2S is viewedthrough the window 2x13, the display material on the inner surface 52 ofthe rear wall lli can be viewed through the front window lll). Thus, asingle apparatus lil can be used to display the same or differentmaterials from opposite directions. rl`he periods of display can becontrolled simply by controlling the rotational speed of drive pulley63, which may be accomplished in any conventional manner.

The entire panel unit 29, including the panel-engaging member 37 and thepanel 2?', can be easily removed from the mounting structure lill.First, the elastic band lll is disconnected from the drive members 86and E7 by moving the bumpers 1li?. and MBS downwardly out of engagementwith the stop flanges and 93a. The panel unit il?? is then pivoted in acounterclockwise direction, as appearing in FlGURE 3, until the rollers46 and 47 (.FIL'GURE l) are no longer below the edge portion 33 of thefront flange 23, after which the panel unit 29 is moved upwardly todisengage the wheels 33 and 39 (FIGURE 2) from the rail d4. The panelunit 29 can now be dropped through the bottom of the housing l2 andreplaced with a similar panel unit by reversing the removal procedures.While the panel unit is removed from the housing, the drive members 86and $7 may be removed from their rails S8 and 89 by sliding them off`the leftward and rig itward ends thereof, respectively (FlGURE 4). T hepanel can be easily removed from the panel-engaginlY member 37 byremoving the bolts 4S, which connect the panel to the rear flange 42 onthe panel-engaging member. The pulley bracket 69 serves not only as abelt tensioning device, but also permits easy removal of the belt 7Sfrom engagement with the pulleys 63 and od.

Under some circumstances of rigorous operation, the holding element L24(FEGURE 5) may fail to malte engagement with the shoulder in one of theholding members, such as the holding member lid. Accordingly,v as thedriving member 8o is removed by the driving pin 83 toward the right endof the mounting structure il, the elastic band lll. will cause the panelunit 29 and the drive member 27 to be moved rightwardly with the drivemember Elo. As the two drive members and panel unit 29 approach therightward end of the mounting structure, the drag between the slowmoving holding element 124 and the holding member M6 may be sullicientto overcome the contrary urging of the slightly stretched elastic bandlll so that the holding element 124 will fail to engage the shoulder inthe holding member llo. Accordingly, when the drive member 87 is urgedleftwardly by the pin 83, the panel unit 29 and the drive member 85 willalso be moved leftwardly. This unison movement of the two drive membersand panel unit, which may continue indefinitely, can reduce theeffectiveness of the display apparatus l@ wherein it is desirable forthe panel 23 to remain motionless in the display position for at least afew seconds.

In order to overcome this problem, a lever 131i (FIG- URE l) having ahook 131 on its inner end is pivotally supported by means of tie leafspring 132 upon the upper surface of the horizontal flange 133 of thedrive member 134 so that the hook 131 will engage the walls of anopening 135 in the web 136 of a panel-engaging member 157, which may besubstantially identical to the panelengaging member 37. An elongated cam138 (FlGURE 9) is secured to the lower surface of the web 139 on thechannel-shaped belt guide M1, which may be substantially identical tothe belt guide 51 shown in FIGURE 3. The cam 13S (FIGURE l0) preferablyextends between a pair of holding members, which may be substantiallyidentical to the holding members 115 and 116, respectively, and one ofwhich is shown at 142. The earn 138 is arranged so that it will engagethhe outer end of the lever 139, thereby moving said lever into itsbroken line position 13de (FIGURE l0), whenever said drive member 1341,and especially the llange 133 thereon, is near its position between thesaid holding members. With the lever in its broken line position 133mthe hook 131 is moved out of a position engageable with that portion ofthe web 136 dening the opening 135 therein. As the flange 133 on thedrive member 134 moves toward its position remote from the holdingmembers, the lever 13b becomes disengaged from the cam 138, therebypermitting the hook 131 to engage the web 136. Thus, the panelengagingmember 137 will be positively pulled by the drive member 13dintoengagement with the holding member 142 past which said panel-engagingmember is being moved. Another lever, not shown, which may be similar tothe lever 151i, may be supported on the other drive member forengagement with the walls of an opening at the other end of thepanel-engaging member 137.

The cam 138 is provided to positively prevent engagement and movement ofthe panel-engaging member 137 by the hook 131 on the lever 131i (or thelever not shown) whenever the engaging member 137 is engaged by, andheld against such movement by, a holding member, such as the holdingmember 142.

However, the hook 131 can and will engage the panelengaging member 137substantially before the engaging member can engage, and be slowed downby, the holding member past which it must move to become engagedtherewith, thereby positively assuring that it will be moved into alocked position with such holding member before another cycle oroperation is completed.

lf the panel-engaging member 137 has been properly held at one end ofits path during the movement of the drive member 134 ahead of it towardthe other end of such path, the hook 131 will have nothing to engage asthe lever is disengaged from the cam 138. However, when the engagingmember 137 is nally released and moves to the end of its path where thehook 131 is located, said hook 131 will be engaged by the web 136 andwill slide into the opening 135, thereby preventing the engaging member137 from bouncing back past the point of engagement with the holdingmember during the short period between the time the drive member isengaged by the panel-engaging member 137 and the time when said drivemember 134 reaches the end of its path.

It will be seen from the above description that a valuable feature ofapplicants invention resides in the capability thereof to move thedisplay panel 2d abruptly between one display position and another, orbetween a display position and a storage position even though the beltmovement is relatively slow, which permits the use of a weak powersource. By controlling the belt movement, the period of time duringwhich the display panel remains in a given display position can bevaried rather substantially without altering in any way the speed withwhich the display panel moves into and out 0f the display position.

Under some circumstances, at least some of the objects of the inventionmay be met by providing a simpliiied 111 display apparatus 151i` (FIGURE1l) wherein the panelengaging member 151 is directly engaged by meanssecured to the belt and moved therewith into and out of the displayposition. An elongated, channel-shaped belt guide 157 (FlGURE l2) hasits web 15S secured to the web 154 of the header 156, and a pair orpreferably parallel side ilanges 159 and 161 which extend downwardlyfrom said webs. An elongated track 153 is integral with the lower edgeof the rear flange 161, in this embodiment, and is disposed between andparallel with the flanges 159 and 161. The panel-engaging member 151 issupported by the wheels 152 upon the track 153 tor movement lengthwisethereof.

A pair of pulleys 162 and (FIGURE ll) are rotatably supported upon andwithin the header 156 at opposite ends ot the belt guide 157 and areencircled by an endless belt 16d, the reaches of which are parallelwith, and located between, the belt guide 157 and the flanges 159 and161. The pulley 162, for example, may be mounted upon the shaft of themotor 16d for rotation thereby, hence for moving the belt 1nd.

A drive pin 167 (FIGURE l2) is pivo'tally supported by means of thebracket 16S upon the belt 154 so that said pin normally extendsoutwardly and horizontally from the belt. Said pin 167 is pivotablearound a substantially horizontal axis parallel with said belt between asubstantially horizontal position, as shown in solid lines in FIGURE l2,and an upright position as shown at 167er in broken lines. Tne drive pinis urged by gravity to remain in its substantially horizontal position167 and is moved into its broken line upright position 167e byengagement with one of the inclined cams 169 and 171 which are supportedupon the adjacent sides of the tlanges 172 and 173, respectivel of theheader 156.

A pair of engaging pins 174 and 176 are mounted upon the panel-engagingmember 151 so they extend sidewardly, in opposite directions, and thenupwardly into the path of movement of the drive pin 167 on oppositesides of the belt 164i. The engaging pins 17d and 176 are preferablymounted upon the panel-engaging member 151 approximately midway betweenthe lengthwise ends thereof. The cams 169 and 171 are preferably locatedso that they will eltect an upward pivoting of the drive pin 167 just asthe leading end of the panel-engaging member 151 approaches a positionadjacent to the end of the header 156 toward which the panel-engagingmember is being moved by the drive pin 167.

In operation, the motor 166 is energized whereby the pulley 162 isrotated thereby driving the belt 164. at a substantially constant andslow speed. The drive pin 167 will engage one of the engaging pins 174and 176, such as the pin 174, and thereby move the panel-engaging memberand the panel supported thereby until the drive pin 167 (FIGURE 13)engages the cam 169, for example.

The drive pin 167 is pivoted upwardly by said cam 159 into its brokenline position 167e (FIGURE l2), thereby releasing the engagement betweenthe drive pin 167 and the engaging pin 174. At this point, the engagingpin 174 and the panel 177 are approximately in their broken linepositions 174a and 1.77ct, respectively, of' FIGURE ll. The driving pin167 continues to move leftwardly with the belt 164- around the pulley162 and then rightwardly until, as shown at 167b in FIGURE l2, itengages the engaging pin 176. During this movement of the belt 164, thepanel-engaging member 151 and its panel 177 remain at the leftward endof their movement path in a display position. The drive pin 167 nowmoves the engaging pin 176, hence the panel-engaging member 151,rightwardly until the panel approaches its broken line position 17715(FIGURE l1), when the cam 171 disengages the drive pin 167 from theengaging pin 176. The drive pin continues to move rightwardly with thebelt 164 around the pulley 16.3 and then leftwardly into engagement withthe engaging pin 174, whereby the cycle is completed and may berepeated.

spiegarlo The panel 177 is moved from one display position 177g to theother display position 177i; with a somewhat slower motion than themotion with which the panel 28 (FIG- URE 2) moves from one end to theother of its path. However, said panel 177' does remain motionless inthe display position for a period of time during which the materialthereon can be viewed.

FGURES 14 and l5 disclose a modiiied display apparatus 181 comprised ofa header 182 having an elongated side sheet 183 which is bent inwardlyand upwardly along its lower edge to provide the track 184 upon whichthe panel 18d is supported by means of the wheels 187. A pair ofhorizontally spaced, radially aligned pulleys lh and 189 are supportedupon the side sheet 183 for rotation around substantially horizontalaxes by the motor 191 which supports the pulley 1w. The pulleys 188 and189 are encircled by an endless belt 192 to which is secure a transversedrive element 193. An upper bracket 194 is secured to the upper portionof the panel 186 near one end thereof and extends upwardly therefrompast the belt 1%2 and around the upper reach 1% thereof so that saidbracket can be engaged by the drive element 193 as it moves with theupper reach. A lower bracket 197 is secured to the opposite upper endportion of the panel 186 and has a bifurcated upper end which extendsupwardly on both sides of, but is spaced from the lower reach 199 ofsaid belt 192. The upper bracket 194 is at that end of the panel towardwhich the upper reach 1% of the belt 192 moves.

When the motor 191 is rotated, the belt 192 causes the drive element 193to engage the upper bracket 194, for example, thereby moving the panelrightwardly until the high bracket is beyond the end of the pulley 189.The panel 136 remains in this position until the drive element 193 movesleftwardly and engages the low bracket 197 whereupon it slowly moves thepanel 18d leftwardly until the low bracket 197 is beyond the pulley 1&8.The panel remains in this position until the drive element 193 movesalong the upper reach and again engages the high bracket 194 whereby thecycle is completed and can be repeated.

FlGURE 16 illustrates a display apparatus 266 in which the basicstructure is similar to that disclosed in FIG- URE 14. That is, a panelZl is supported by the wheels 208 upon a track 2@ which is integral witha side sheet 211. A pair of horizontally spaced, axially aligned pulleys212 and 213, one of which is mounted upon the shaft of a motor 214, arerotatably supported upon the side sheet 211. A transverse drive element216, which may be identical with the drive element 193 in FIGURE 14, ismounted upon the belt 217 for engaging the high and low brackets 215 and219, respectively, which are mounted upon the panel 267. The brackets21S and 219 may be substantially identical with the brackets 194 and197, respectively, except that they are mounted adjacent to each othernear the center of the upper edge of the panel 2117. This arrangementpermits the panel 2157 to move approximately twice as far with the samecenter line distance between the pulleys 212 and 213 as exists betweenthe pulleys 168 and 1S9 in FlGURE 14. However, without more, it does notprovide for a material dwell between the movements of the panel 21W inopposite directions.

To provide such dwell, a timing device 221 (FlGURE 16) is connected to apair of micro switches 222 and 223 which are mounted upon the side sheet211 adjacent to the remote sides of the pulleys 212 and 213 so that saidswitches can be operated by the drive element 216 as it passes them. Themicro switches 222 and 2213 are preferably arranged so that they openthe circuit to the motor 214 and, at the same time, initiate a timingperiod at the termination of which the motor 214 is again energized andthe belt 217, hence the panel 2157, is again moved. Obviously, by aproper selection of the timer '221, the dwell of the panel 2tl7 in adisplay position at the end of its horizontal traverse can be accuratelycontrolled and varied to suit the individual purposes.

Although certain, selected embodiments of the invention have beendisclosed above in detail for illustrative purposes, it will berecognized that variations or modiiications of such disclosure, whichlie within the scope of the appended claims, are fully contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for moving a display panel between two horizontallyspaced positions, comprising: an elongated, horizontally disposedmounting structure, said mounting structure having an elongated trackthereon; a vertical panel disposed below said track; a plurality ofrotatable rollers mounted on the upper edge of said panel for rotationabout horizontal axes extending transverse to said track, said rollersresting upon said track so that said panel is supported for movementlengthwise thereof; a pair of horizontally spaced, radially alignedcircular members rotatably supported on said mounting structure abovesaid track near the path of movement of said panel for rotation aboutsubstantially parallel axes; an endless element extending around saidcircular members, said element having a pair of reaches extendingbetween said circular members and substantially parallel with saidtrack; means connected to one of said circular members for effectingrotation thereof in one direction whereby said endless element is movedin said one direction through a closed path around said circular membersand lengthwise of said mounting structure; a drive finger secured to andextending outwardly from said endless element; a pair of driven membersmounted on the upper edge of said panel and extending upwardlytherefrom, respectively, to positions adjacent the respective reaches ofsaid endless member so that the drive finger as it moves through each ofsaid reaches will engage one of said driven members and will therebymove said panel in one direction or the other along said track, saiddrive linger being disengaged from said driven members as it passesaround said circular members so that the panel remains in a non-movingposition for a period of time.

2. An apparatus as dened in claim l wherein said circular elements arerotatable about horizontal axes and said driven members partiallysurround the endless element and each have an open side so that they maypass over and beyond said circular members so that the drive fingerbecomes disengaged therefrom as it begins to pass around the circularmembers.

3. The structure of claim l wherein said circular members are a pair ofpulleys rotatable about vsubstantially horizontal axes; wherein saidmeans for effecting rotation of said circular members is a motor; andincluding a timing device connected in series with vsaid motor and apair of switches controlling said timer and mounted upon said structureadjacent to said pulleys, said switches being operated by said drivefinger for de-energizing said motor and initiating a timing operation bysaid timing device, at the termination of which said motor is energized.

4. An apparatus for moving a display panel between two horizontallyspaced positions, comprising: an elongated, horizontally disposedmounting structure, said mounting structure having an elongated trackthereon; a vertical panel disposed below said track; a plurality ofrotatable rollers mounted on the upper edge of said panel for rotationabout horizontal axes extending transverse to said track, said rollersresting upon said track so that said panel is supported for movementlengthwise thereof; a pair of horizontally spa-ced, radially alignedcircular members rotatably supported on said momiting structure abovesaid track near the path of movement of said panel for rotation aboutsubstantially parallel axes; an endless element extending around saidcircular members, said element having a pair of reaches extendingbetween said circular members and substantially parallel with saidtrack; means connected to one of said circular members for effectingrotation thereof in one direction whereby said 13 endless 'element ismoved in said one direction through a closed path around said circularmembers and lengthwise of said mounting structure; a drive iingersecured to and extending outwardly from said endless eiementg.

a pair of driven members mounted on the upper edge of said panel andextending upwardly therefrom, respectively, to positions adjacent therespective reaches of said endless member so that the drive finger as itmoves through each of said reaches Will engage one of said drivenmembers and will thereby move said panel in one direction or the otheralong said track; cam means adjacent said reaches and engageably withsaid drive finger to disengage said drive ringer from said drivenmembers as said panel arrives 4into one of the spaced positions thereof,so that the panel remains stationary with respet to said mountingstructure in said one spaced position yfor a period o time.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

